Knitted article



June 28, 1960 w, TAYLOR 2,942,443

KNITTED ARTICLE Filed Aug. 27. 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 IS IS 2 Mi HIT 'ILE TTMUU Tllmllll HC HD LC [.0 HC HD LO LO INVENTOR. WILLIAM TAYLOR BYMHW ATTORNEY June 28, 1960 W. TAYLOR KNITTED ARTICLE Filed Aug. 27, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Cylinder Needles Dial Needles Courses High Buff Low BuH High Butt Low Butt l X X 6 X Transferred X X 8 X X X l0 X X I x Separating 2 Thread l 3 X X Cast Off INVENTOR.

WILLIAM TAYLOR QALLMHW ATTORNEY United States Patent i KNITTED ARTICLE William Taylor, Fair-less Hills, Pa. assignor, by direct and mesne assignments, of seventy-five percent to John M; Ashe, and twenty-five percent to Harry Shapiro, Philadelphia, Pa.

Filed Aug. 27, 1959, Ser. No. 836,429

9 Claims. (Cl. 66-199) The present invention relates to a knitted article and the method of making the same. More particularly the present invention relates to a knitted article which can be napped without damaging the article, and the method of making the same.

In the manufacture of many types of knit-ted articles it is desirable to provide the knitted article with a nap. This is achieved by brushing the outer surface of the kn t a cl to a s he as e ya n In the. ma p hdhs hh hf th k i t articl s th n e es. or t. ast rati n a ia 9 the r les re kn t ed. y a knitt machihehs sq t nh s s f. the ar cles Q 'PQ S ereof. For ease of napping the knitted articles theyare ma ped hi e s l sq st d ethe a a. c tinaans r p- F his su s h con nuo s. str p at e knitted articles are passed under a rotating brush. The engagement b t heI t e e b u nd. he. knitted article raises the nap of the yarn,

In the continuous strip of the articles each of thearticles. is. s uash 2- h iahhn sn e hit ssphmter t r a which is knitted; between the stitches at the end of one a icl and th!3 st h s at he be i ni o he nex article. By. breaking the separator thread, the articles, a be a ated f o ho er a fih haq t e end of one article and transferr' g the kn tting operat nt h S tin o h n t t cle hrou h p r tor thread, it has been the practice tore-st oft; some of: e t s f he cle h hs. nish d? The c s ft stitches. on the. outer surface ofi the;v artiele project slight v ly from. the. outer surface. of; the article. Tings, when the strip of the articles is passed under the rotating brush to nap the articles, it has been found that the; bristles f h brus at e r e t t tc s an en to pull and: tear the stitches. Any such torn. stitches causes a run in. the knitted article. which damages the; article. Thus, it lias been found that the methods heretoforejused; for ending one knitted article and transferring; to the be:

ginning of the next article are not. satisfactory 'for'knittipg an artic'le whichisto benapped.

It is an object of the. present invention tp providev a novel knitted article.

h It is another object of the present. invention toproyide a; novel interconnection between the, knitted articles in a continuous strip of, the articles.

It is still another. object of thepresent inyention; to;

provide a novel interconnection, between the b odyvof one;

knitted article and the ribbing of a second knitted article;

in acontinuous stripof the articles.

It is still another object. of the present inyention to, provide an interconnection between the knitted article s; inacontinuous strip of articleswhich has no-loose. stitch es projecting from theouter. surface of the articles which can be broken. during, the napping of. the articles,

It is afurther object of, the present. invention. topro vide a novel method of interconnecting continuoiislyl knitted articles.

his a still further object of, the present invention to provide a method'of interconnecting continuously knitted 2,942,443 Patented June 28, 1960 articles without casting off any stitches on the outer surface of the articles.

Other objects will appear hereinafter.

For the purpose of illustrating the invention there is shown in the drawings a form which is presently pre ferred; it being understood, however, that this invention is not limited to the precise arrangements and instrumentalities shown.

Figure 1 is a plan view of a portion of the continuous strip of knitted articles of the present invention.

Figure 2 is a greatly enlarged view of the portion of the knitted article encircled in Figure 1 illustrating the stitches of the knitted interconnection of the present invention.

Figure 3 is a chart showing the operation of the needles of a knitting machine to achieve the interconnection illustrated in Figure 2.

Referring initially to Figure 1, there is shown a continuous strip 10 ofknitted sweater bodies 12'. Each of the sweater bodies 32 includes a body portion 14 and a ribbed waist section 16. In the illustrated embodiment of the present invention, the sweater bodies 12 are continuously knitted on a circular knitting machine with the body portion 14 of each of the sweater bodies 12 being connected to the ribbed waist section 16 of the adjacent sweater body 12 by a knitted interconnection, designated as 18. The body portion 14 of each of the sweater bodies- 12 is formed of an interlock stitch, and the ribbed waist sections 16 are formed of a rib stitch.

A circular knitting machine is made up of two' sets of needles, the cylinder needles, and the dial. needles. I he cylinder needles. are vertical needles. which are arranged in sideby-side relation around the outer SHIT-- face of a stationary cylinder of the knitting machine. T i nee les are. horizontal needles. which are at ranged in side-by-side relation around the flat top surface of the cylinder of the knitting machine. Th icylinder nce lhs knitthe stitches. of the sweater b,odie's..;|l'2 which are on the outer surface. of the sweater bodies 12, and the dial; needles knit the stitches which. are on the inner surface of the sweater bodies 12. For the pur pose of making the continuous strip, 10; of the present invention, the cylinder needles; and. the; dial needles. are: each-made up of two-typesot needles, ahigh butt needle;-

IlFl-r a1 IQW l tl n edle- In; each: set of the needles, the butt needles and the low butt needles. are arranged alternately in side-.by-sidc-relation.. Thehigh butt needles andtho lowbutt needles: of each set of the needles are operated, separately by a separatecannning device of the knitting machine. Thus, they knitting machine hasfour ep rate; groups of needles which. can. be operated simulk taneously or in various combinations to achieve a desired pattern of knitting.

In knitting the body portions. 14: of. the sweater bodies;

pattern is continued for. the. entire length of, the body: portions 14;. Referring. to Figure 2,.the courses orrows. of stitches 1, 2', and 3.; at the bottom. of Figure 2 illus" trate; aportion of the interlock; stitch of. thebody portion 14. Thewalesmf-stitches: knitted by the high butt cylinder needles are. indicated; by. HG, the, walesof stitches: knitted by the high; butt: dial needles: are indicatedby HD, the wales of stitches; knitted; by. the lowvbutt= cylin-- der needles are indicated by LC, andetheswalesg ofistitbhes: knitted by the low butt dial needlesareindicatedi by LD. It should be notedin, Figure'2 thatthestitohesi knitted by the cylinder needles extend forwardly to fornn use; to knitthe next course, of'stitches, and the alternate the outer surface of the sweater bodies 12, and the stitches knitted by the dial needles extend backwardly to form the inner surface of the sweater bodies 12. The chart of Figure 3 shows that courses 1 and 3 were knitted using only the high butt cylinder and high butt dial needles and course 2 was knitted using only the low butt cylinder and low butt dial needles.

The rib stitch of the ribbed waist section 16 of the sweater bodies 12 is knitted using only one type of each set of needles. In the illustrated embodiment of the sweater bodies 12, the ribbed stitch of the ribbed waist section 16 is knitted by only the high cylinder and high dial needles. Referring to Figure 2, the courses of stitches 16 and 17 were knitted using only the high cylinder and high dial needles, and constitute a portion of the ribbed waist section 16. The chart of Figure 3 shows that the courses 16 and 17 were knitted using only the high butt cylinder and high butt dial needles.

The courses of stitches between the interlock stitches illustrated at the bottom of Figure 2, and the rib stitches, illustrated at the top of Figure 2, constitute the interconnection 18 between the body portion 14 of one sweater body 12 and the ribbed waist section 16 of the adjacent sweater body 12. The interconnection 18 provides an ending or web for the body portion 14, a conversion to the rib stitching of the ribbed waist section 16, and includes a separating thread which connects the body portion 14 and ribbed waist section 16 but permits separating of the sweater bodies 12. Since the interlock stitching of the body portion 14 uses all of the needles of the knitting machine, and the ribbed stitching of the ribbed waist section 16 uses only the high butt needles, the interconnection 18 must provide a conversion in which the stitches on the low butt needles are dropped to permit the knitting of the rib stitches. However, if the stitches from the low but cylinder needles are cast off, there would be provided a projecting stitch on the outer surface of the continuous strip 10 which could be broken during the napping operation.

However, in accordance with the method of the present invention, the interlock stitch of the body portion 14 is continued through course 5 as indicated in Figure 3. Course 6 is knitted by knitting with the high butt cylinder needles, the high butt dial needles, and the low butt dial needles, but not knitting with the low butt cylinder needles. After knitting course 6, the stitches on the low butt cylinder needles are transferred to the low butt dial needles so that the low butt dial needles now contain two stitches. As shown in Figure 2, this places the low butt cylinder stitches 20 formed in course 4 directly over the adjacent low butt dial stitches 22 in course 6. In course 7, only the high butt dial and low butt dial needles are knitted. Thus, course 7 knits the transferred low butt stitches 20 to the low butt dial stitches 22. Thus, the low butt cylinder stitches are dropped without providing any loose stitches on the outer surface of the continuous strip 10. In course 8, all of the remaining stitches, the high butt cylinder, the high butt dial, and the low butt dial, are knitted, and in courses 9 and 10 only the high butt dial and the low butt dial needles are knitted.

In course 11, a separator thread 24 is inserted and is knitted by the high butt cylinder needles only. In course 12, a second separating thread 26 is inserted and is knitted by only the high butt dial needles. In course 13, the original type of thread is reinserted and is knitted by both the high butt cylinder and the high butt dial needles. At this point, the stitches 28 on the low butt dial needles are cast off. Although the stitches 28 are cast off, since they are dial needle stitches, they are on the inner surface of the continuous strip 10. Therefore, the cast olf stitches 28 do not interfere with the napping of the continuous strip 10.

Thus, there is provided the start for the rib stitching of the ribbed waist section 16 of the next sweater body 12. In the illustrated embodiment of the sweater body 12, a course of stitches knitted only by the high butt dial needles (course 14), and a course of stitches knitted by only the high butt cylinder needles (course 15) are provided prior to the courses 16 and 17 which start the rib stitching of the ribbed waist section 16.

When the continuous strip 10 of the sweater bodies 12 is completed, the continuous strip 10 can be passed under a rotating brush to raise the nap of the yarn. Since the continuous strip 10 of the present invention has no loose stitches projecting from the outer surface thereof, the napping operation will not cause any runs in the knitted continuous strip 10. The napped continuous strip 10 can then be sheared to provide a nap of uniform height. The sweater bodies 12 of the continuous strip 10 are then separated by breaking the separator threads 24 and 26 and pulling the separator threads 24 and 26 from the continuous strip 10. Since the separator threads 24 and 26 connect the high cylinder and high dial stitches of the ribbed waist section 16 with the high cylinder and high dial stitches of the previous body portion 14, once the separating threads 24 and 26 are broken and removed, the sweater bodies 12 are entirely separated.

Although the continuous knitted strip 10 of the present invention has been described with regard to making sweater bodies, the method of the present invention can also be used for making continuous knitted strips of other portions of a sweater, or other types of knitted articles. Also, although the continuous knitted strip 10 of the present invention has been described as being knitted on a circular knitting machine, it can also be knitted on a straight knitting machine having two sets of needles comparable to the cylinder and dial needles of a circular knitting machine.

As used in the appended claims, the term garment body shall be construed as meaning a discrete garment unit, such as a sweater body or sleeve comprised of a body portion and a ribbed portion. By way of example, a continuous strip of garment bodies would include a plurality of sweater bodies or sweater sleeves.

The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential attributes thereof and, accordingly, reference should be made to the appended claims, rather than to the foregoing specification as indicating the scope of the invention.

I claim: 1. A continuous knitted strip of garment bodies having a first portion of interlocked stitching on a first garment body, a second portion of ribbed stitching on a overlap the loops of the stitches of adjacent wales and Once the stitches 28 are cast off fromthe low butt dial needles, the only stitches remaining are the stitches on the high butt cylinder and high butt dial needles.

the overlapped loops are secured together by a subsequent course of stitches.

2. A knitted strip in accordance with claim 1 in which the first portion has twice as many wales of stitches on each surface as the second portion has on each surface, and in the one course of the interconnecting portion the loops of the stitches of one-half of the wales on the outer surface overlap and are secured to the loops of the stitches of one-half of the wales on the inner surface.

3. A knitted strip in accordance with claim 2 including at least one separator thread connecting the first portion and the second portion, said separator thread being knitted between the stitches of the other one-half of the wales of the first portion and the stitches of the wales of interlocked stitching and a portion knitted of ribbed stitching, said portion of rib stitching extending along one end of said first portion, a separate interconnecting portion between the other end of the first portion of each of said articles and the end of the second portion of another one of said articles, said interconnecting portions each including a course of stitches in which the loops of the stitches of some of the wales overlap the loops of the stitches of adjacent wales and the overlapped loops are secured together by the next course of stitches, and a sheared nap on said articles.

5. A knitted strip in accordance with claim 4 in which the first port-ion of each of the articles has twice as many wales of stitches on each surface as the second portion has on each surface, and in the one course of each of the interconnecting portions the loops of the stitches of one half of the wales on the outer surface overlap and are secured to the loops of the stitches of one half of the wales on the inner surfiace.

6. A knitted strip in accordance with claim 5 in which each of the interconnecting portions includes at least one separator thread connecting the first portion of each of the articles and the second portion of the adjacent article, said separator being knitted between the stitches of the other one half of the wales of the first portion and the stitches of the wales of the second portion.

7. A knitted article comprising a continuous strip of garment bodies, a first portion of interlocked stitching on one garment body, a second portion of ribbed stitching on another garment body extending along one end of said first portion, the one end of said first portion in cluding a transfer stitch in which some of the wales on the outer surface of the first portion extend over stitches of adjacent wales, the overlapped wales being secured together by the next course of stitches, and a sheared nap on the wales of the garment bodies.

8. A knitted continuous strip of discrete garment bodies comprising a first discrete knitted garment body, a second discrete garment body of ribbed stitching, one end of said second garment body extending along one end of said first garment body, an interconnection in cluding courses of stitches connecting said one end of said first garment body to said one end of said second garment body, said first garment body having more Wales than said second garment body in any given width dimension of said garment bodies, some of the wales in said interconnection extending over and being secured to adjacent wales so that said interconnection provides an ending for the first garment body and a conversion to the ribbed stitching of said second garment body without providing any loose stitches capable of being caught by a napper, said interconnection including cast-oif stitches on an inner surfiace so as to prevent said cas-t-off stitches from being caught by a napper, a sheared nap on an outer surface of said garment bodies and said interconnection, and a separator thread knitted in said interconnection so as not to be caught by a napper and extending across the full width of said interconnection.

9. A knitted continuous strip of discrete garment bodies comprising a first discrete knitted garment body, a second discrete garment body of ribbed stitching, one end of said second garment body extending along one end of said first garment body, an interconnection including courses of stitches connecting said one end of said first garment body to said one end of said second garment body, said first garment body having more wales than said second garment body in any given width dimension of said garment bodies, said interconnection including cast-off stitches on an inner surface so that said interconnection provides an ending for the first garment body and a conversion to the ribbed stitching of said second garment body without providing any loose stitches capable of being caught by a napper, a separator thread knitted in said interconnection so as not to be caught by a napper and extending across the full width of said interconnection, and a sheared nap on an outer surface of said garment bodies and said interconnection.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 830,374 Scott Sept. 4, 1906 869,986 Scott Nov. 5, 1907 955,702 Scott Apr. 19, 1910 999,734 Barratt Aug. 8, 1911 1,118,063 Scott Nov. 24, 1914 2,635,441 St. Pierre Apr. 21, 1953 2,741,108 Rogosin Apr. 10, 1956 2,854,832 Morris Oct. 7, 1958 FOREIGN PATENTS 466,413 Great Britain May 24, 1937 OTHER REFERENCES Linton, George: The Modern Textile Dictionary, Duell, Sloan and Pearce-Little, Brown and Company, Boston, Massachusetts. Copyright 1955. Copy in Division 21. 

